The North Manhattan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will present Little Brother at “Educating Leroy: A Red Reel Discussion,” as part of their annual May Week program in Washington Heights, NY.

We’ll also be screening Little Brother in Brooklyn, NY, in the 2012 Linkages: Women of African Descent Film Festival (WADFF).

Click the flyer below for more information on both events.

• Regional Focus – Each year we make a new documentary film with new young men in a new city. As a result, the series becomes a look at our cultural landscape across the country, as well as a look at the young men who live there.

• Short Films – Each film in the series runs about 15 minutes. The time frame allows the films to play in any setting – theaters, classrooms, events, or at home – and leaves room for a conversation around the issues explored.

• Third Leg of the Journey – We’ve completed two films in what will become a 10-film series. Our first chapter was filmed in Camden, NJ, and the second in Chicago, IL. Our third film takes us to interview young men in the state of Florida.

• Preadolescence – We speak with young black males aged 9-13, a critical age when society leans more towards viewing them as delinquents, and consequently their lives change emotionally as well as physically.

• A Safe Space – We travel with a small crew and aim to create environments where the young men interviewed can speak freely about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

• An Academic Tool – The series has become a tool for educators at the K-12 level to discuss working with young black males, and at the graduate level to discuss their psychology. We’ve screened with academic and policy organizations including Morgan State University’s Institute for Urban Research, The New School’s Eugene Lang College Ethnicity & Race Program, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, to name a few.

• A Community Tool – The series is also useful for youth, parents, and community leaders to discuss and work through issues surrounding young black males. Little Brother has been called “a conversation that can save a generation” because of its ability to start community dialogue.

• Sparking Social Change – Little Brother strives to use honest and balanced media messages about young black men to challenge audiences’ biases against them, that the elimination of those biases might curb discrimination, educational inequity, racial profiling, and a host of other obstacles facing black boys.

We’re currently raising funds to produce our third film in the Little Brother series. Learn more about the project, and how to support it, HERE.

This spring we were pleased to join Dr. Ivory Toldson of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Jackson, Mississippi for a special community forum as part of the Breaking the Barriers series.

Nearly 700 Metro Jackson residents attended the screening of Little Brother, followed by a discussion on improving life outcomes for young black males.

Find coverage of the event below:

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“Being there for one another gives meaning to our lives, and striving for the meaning is, ‘the primary motivational force in man.’”

You can read Nicole’s full article here in her blog post for CultureID.

As love is at the forefront of our thoughts today, we’d like to make sure that black youth don’t get lost in the shuffle.

We invite you to participate in Valentine for Little Brother, a campaign that allows you to share a “valentine” with your community by donating the film at a deeply discounted rate throughout this month. For $25 you receive two DVD copies of Little Brother: Things Fall Apart – one for yourself as a home video, and one copy to donate.

The institution receiving the donation receives public performance screening rights without the educational fee, and supporters are able to flood schools and libraries with messages of love and support for black youth. Click here to participate.

We also encourage you to share your messages of love and encouragement for black boys here on this site, which we’ll continue to share with the young men we meet across the country. Feel free to leave a comment with your message below.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and we hope you’ll join us in giving love that counts.

We recently chatted with Jay, Jeff, Mark, Juan and Stephanie of The Everything Film Show, a podcast devoted to discussing all things film and entertainment.

It was a great time discussing the newest developments with Little Brother, including our Valentine for Little Brother campaign, as well as the business side of the film industry.

Listen to the full interview here. 

THE NASHVILLE FILM PREMIERE AND COMMUNITY DISCUSSION

of

LITTLE BROTHER

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Belmont University—Beaman A& B

4:00-6:00pm

This is a FREE Event

Immediately following the viewing of the film, DR. RAYMOND WINBUSH, psychologist and Director, Institute for Urban Research, Morgan State University, will facilitate a discussion among Nashville educators, civic leaders, public policy-makers and others regarding the educational, public policy and public health issues impacting young Black males.

This event is for EVERYONE: educators, juvenile justice officials, legislators and policymakers, civic leaders, clergy and parents of young, middle school age Black boys. Please come out and join the conversation! YOU can make a difference in the lives of Black boys in Nashville.

The screening is presented by the Nashville Chapter of Coalition of 100 Black Women Foundation, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Nashville Alumnae Chapter, Tennessee Voices for Children, National Black Police Association, and Belmont University.

New Year, New Opportunities!

We’re honored to screen at New Voices in Black Cinema Festival at BAMcinematek in Brooklyn next month.

On Monday, February 20 at 4:30pm, Little Brother: The Street will screen as part of “Growing Pains,” a shorts program focusing on youth and the challenges they face. The screening will be followed by a panel with the filmmakers and leading figures in the discussion on black adolescence.

School groups and community organizations are encouraged to attend, and group discounts apply. For details and tickets, visit BAM.org.

This Sunday, December 11th, Little Brother will be presented at Pen and Brush gallery’s Art Day Extravaganza. The day includes a short film showcase, art exhibit, and reading series. Ticket sales support The Pen and Brush, Inc., an international organization for women in the visual, literary and performing arts.

Join us!

Art Day Extravaganza
Sunday, December 11th, 2011
12 Noon – 8PM
at The Pen and Brush
16 East 10th Street (between 5th Ave. and University Place)
New York, NY 10003

Subways: L,N,Q,R,W,4,5,6 (Union Square)

More info at penandbrush.org

During our TV premiere this week on Documentary Channel, we held a live chat via Facebook and Twitter discussing the film and some of our thoughts during the broadcast. We also know that many of you had discussions at home relating to subjects in the film.

As one of our viewers mentioned, watching the broadcast sparked his own memories of being a child, and how he couldn’t recall ever being asked about love at that age.

We’d like to hear more from you about your Little Brother discussions. When you saw the film, did you watch with a child, other family member, co-worker, or friend? What did you discuss afterwards?

Tell us below, and let’s continue the conversation.

This documentary series was created to spark a dialogue within our communities, so we can’t wait to hear what kind of conversations it starts in your home.

Watch with a child, student, teacher, mentor, family member or friend. Discuss the film together, and share your thoughts with us online.